Julieanne Dorn Professor of Neurology Harvard Medical School

Neurologist Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital

Physician Investigator (Cl) Neurology, Mass General Research Institute

MD Harvard Medical School 1990

PhD 1988

adenosine a2 receptor antagonists; antiparkinson agents; brain cells; caffeine; clinical trials; disease prevention; dyiskinesia; exercise; gba; lrrk2; neuroprotective agents; parkinson disease; piperine; receptor adenosine a2a

The Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory at the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, under the direction of Michael Schwarzschild, MD PhD, investigates molecular mechanisms in mouse models of Parkinson’s disease in an effort to develop improved therapies for Parkinson’s and related neurodegenerative diseases. 

The lab is pursuing major environmental, lifestyle and genetic clues to the disease through fruitful cross-disciplinary collaborations. Caffeine, exercise, iburprofen, smoking, urate, and vitabmin B12 are all linked to a lower risk of Parkinson’s and/or to a slower rate of disease progression, whereas inherited risk can be due to variants in the GBA and LRRK2 genes. Our group takes an integrative bench and clinical research approach to accelerating the translation of these genetic and epidemiological insights into human trials. Our strategies are designed to expedite development of therapies that will improve the lives of people with Parkinson’s, and prevent the disease in those at risk for Parkinson's now and in future generations.